IMAGE CREDITS
banner: from the Fluxus Poster Project, George Maciunas.

events & performances

DRIP MUSIC

1959. For single or multiple performance. A source of dripping water and an empty vessel are arranged so that the water falls into the vessel.

1959. Second Version. Dripping.

1959. Fluxversion 1. Performer on a ladder pours water from a pitcher very slowly down into the bell of a French horn or tuba held in playing position by a second performer at floor level.

Performed in 2002 by Ben Patterson. Patterson wrote in the liner notes: "Recently, as I was preparing a concert of classic Fluxus works, I decided to re-examine the original scores, rather than rely on my memory of preformances of the traditional interpretations of these works. Thus, I discovered that George Brechts original instructions for Drip Music allowed for both a single source or multiple sources of dripping water. Remembering Georges first career as a chemist, employing laboratory equipment to produce multiple, dripping sources seemed appropriate. A device was constructed including 3 gerbil water bottles suspended from metal rods and a piece of molded plastic packaging, amplified with contact microphone. Only micro adjustments were made to provide differing drip frequencies. No electro-acoustic manipulations or editorial tricks." [source: Alfa Marghen]On CD-Rom together with '370 Flies' (2003, Ben Patterson) edited by Alga Marghen. CDR edition limited to 200 signed copies. A reproduction of the Drip Music score is stamped on the back cover.More images on Fluxorama 2001-2004.

SPANISH CARD PIECE FOR OBJECTS

1959-1960. From one to twenty-four performers are arranged within view of each other. Each has before him a stopwatch and a set of objects of four types, corresponding to the four suits of Spanish cards: swords, clubs, cups, and coins / One performer, as dealer, shuffles a deck of Spanish cards (which are numbered 1-12 in each suit), and deals them in pairs to all performers, each performer arranging his pairs, face up, in front of him / At a sign from the dealer, each performer starts his stopwatch, and, interpreting the rank of the first card in each pair as the number of sounds to be made, and the rank of the second card in each pair as the number of consecutive five-second intervals within which that number of sounds is to be freely arranged, acts with an object corresponding to the suit of the first card in each pair upon an object corresponding to the suit of the second card in that pair / When every performer has used all his pairs of cards, the piece ends.

COMB MUSIC (COMB EVENT)

1959-1962. For a single or multiple performance. A comb is held by its spine in one hand, either free or resting on an object. The thumb or a finger on the other hand is held with its tip against the end prong of a comb, with the edge of the nail overlapping the end of a prong. The finger is slowly and uniformly moved so that the prong is inevitably released, and the nail engages the next prong. This action is repeated until each prong has been used.In 1988 performed by John Armleder, engineered by Brenda Hutchinson at Studio PASS, NY (:05). This event was recorded on cassette (Tellus #21). See UbuWeb.

1960. Motor Vehicle Sundown is a verbal instruction piece scored for any number of motor vehicles arranged outdoors. For each vehicle, 22 auditory and visual events and 22 pauses are written onto randomly shuffled instruction cards. Beside 'pause', the events include: Headlights on and off, Parking lights on and off, sound horn, sound siren, sound bell(s), accelerate motor, radio on and off, strike window with knuckles, open or close door (quickly, with moderate speed, slowly), open or close engine hood, operate special equipment (carousels, ladders, fire hoses with truck-contained pumps and water supply), operate special lights (truck-body, safety, signal, warning, signs, displays). At sundown '(relatively dark/open area incident light 2 foot-candles or less)', the performers arrive at the same time, seat themselves in the cars and start their engines at approximately the same time. They follow the instructions, substituting equipment for that which they do not have, and turn off their engines when they are finished.

TIME-TABLE EVENT

1961. To occur in a railway station. A time table is obtained. A tabulated time indication is interpreted in minutes and seconds. This determines the duration of the event.

1961. Five piano pieces, any number of which may be played in succession, simultaneously, in any order and combination, with one another or with other pieces.

The piano seat is tilted on its base and brought to rest against a part of the piano.

"Incidental Music, Part 2. Wooden blocks: A single block is placed inside the piano / A block is placed upon this block, then a third upon the second, and so forth, singly, until at least one block falls from the column.". A registration is made by Larry Miller in 1979, as part of his video 'Flux Concert'. See Electronic Arts Intermix.

Photographing the piano situation.

Three dried peas or beans are dropped, one after another, onto the keyboard. Each such seed remaining on the keyboard is attached to the key or keys nearest it with a single piece of pressure-sensitive tape.

The piano seat is suitably arranged and the performer seats himself.

TEA EVENT

1961. Preparing / Empty vessel.

1961. Fluxversion 1. Distill tea in a still.

TWO DURATIONS

1961. Red / Green.

TWO ELIMINATION EVENTS

1961. Empty vessel / Empty vessel.

TWO EXERCISES

1961. Consider an object / Call what is not the object 'other' / Exercise: Add to the object, from the 'other', another object, to form a new object and a new 'other' / Repeat until there is no more 'other' / Exercise: Take a part from the object and add it to the 'other', to form a new object and a new 'other' / Repeat until there is no more object.

1961. When the telephone rings, it is allowed to continue ringing until it stops / When the telephone rings, the receiver is lifted, then replaced / When the telephone rings, it is answered.

THREE LAMP EVENTS

1961. On.Off. / Lamp / Off.On.

THREE WINDOW EVENTS

1961. Opening a closed window / Closing an open window.

THREE BROOM EVENTS

1961. Broom / Sweeping / Broom sweepings.

THREE YELLOW EVENTS

1961. 1. Yellow yellow yellow / 2. Yellow loud / 3. red.

1961. Fluxversion 1. Three yellow slides are projected on a screen / Pause / One yellow slide is projected and then the projector falls down on the floor as the slide is removed / After the projector is returned to its place, a red slide is projected.

DIRECTION

1961. Arrange to observe a sign indicating direction of travel / Travel in the indicated direction / Travel in another direction.

1962. Handwritten card with 'KEYHOLE' and beneath 'Through either side / One event'.

PIANO PIECE

1962. A vase of flowers on a piano.

1962. Three Piano Pieces. Standing / Sitting / Walking.

1962. Center.

ORGAN PIECE

1962. Organ.

SOLO FOR WIND INSTRUMENT

1962. [Putting it down].

FLUTE SOLO

1962. Disassembling / Assembling.

SAXOPHONE SOLO

1962. Trumpet.

1962. Fluxversion 1. The piece is announced / Performer enters stage with an instrument case / places it on a stand / opens it and pulls out a trumpet / realizes the mistake / puts it quickly back in the case and exits.

SOLO FOR VIOLIN, VIOLA OR CONTRABAS

1962. Polishing.

STRING QUARTET

1962. Shaking hands.

DANCE MUSIC

1962. Gunshot.

CONCERT FOR CLARINET

1962. Nearby.

1962. Fluxversion 1. Clarinet is suspended by a string tied to its center so that it holds it in a horizontal position about 6 inches above the performer's mouth / Performer attempts to play a note without using his hands / He should do this either by swinging the reed end down or jumping up to it and catching the reed with his mouth.

1962. Fluxvariation 2. A clarinet is positioned upright on the floor / Performer with a fishing pole, sitting at a distance of a few feet should attempt to hook, lift and bring to his mouth the reed end of the clarinet.

CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA

1962. [Exchanging].

1962. Fluxversion 1. Orchestra members exchange their instruments.

1962. Fluxversion 2. Orchestra members exchange their scores.

1962. Fluxversion 3. The orchestra is divided into two teams, winds and strings, sitting in opposing rows / Wind instruments must be prepared so as to be able to shoot out peas. This can be accomplished by inserting a long, narrow tube into wind instruments. String instruments are strung with rubber bands which are used to shoot paper missiles / Performers must hit a performer on the opposite team with a missile / A performer hit three times must leave the stage / Missiles are exchanged until all performers on one side are gone.Conductor acts as referee.

ENTRANCE-EXIT

1962. A smooth linear transition from white noise to sinus wave tone is broadcast. Title is announced at beginning and at end, but at end, title is announced by a tape played backward. Recorded 1962 with James Tenney and George Maciunas.Available on cassette Tellus #24 (The Audio Cassette Magazine) Special edition: 'Flux-tellus' (1990). For excerpts see UbuWeb.

SYMPHONY No.1

1962. Through a hole.

1962. Fluxversion 1. Performers position themselves behind a full size photo of another orchestra and insert arms through holes cut in the photo at the shoulders of the photographic musicians / Performers may hold instruments in the conventional way and attempt to play an old favorite / In case of wind instruments, holes must be cut at mouths of photographic musicians.

SYMPHONY No.2

1962. [Turning].

1962. Fluxversion 1. Thick score books are positioned on music stands in front of the orchestra members / As soon as the conductor begins to turn the pages of his book, orchestra members start turning theirs / The books are leafed through either at different rates of speed or same rate of speed, but all are turned to the last page.

SYMPHONY No.3

1964. at three / from the tree / all night / at home / on the floor / the yellow ball / in the water.

1964. Fluxversion 1. [On the floor]. Orchestra members sit down on the very forward edge of the chair and hold instruments in ready position / Upon signal from the conductor, all players slide forward and fall smoothly off their chairs in unison.

OCTET FOR WINDS

1964. Equal number of performers seat themselves opposite each other. A large pan of water is placed between the two groups and a toy sailboat is placed on the water. Performers blow their wind instruments at the sail of the boat pushing it to the opposing group. Both groups try to blow the boat away from themselves and toward the other group. If possible, all performers should play some popular tune while blowing on the sail. Piece ends when the boat reaches one end or the other of the pan.

FOR A DRUMMER

(For Eric) 1966. Drum on something you have never drummed on before / Drum with something you have never drummed with before.

1966. Fluxversion 1. Performer drums with drum sticks or drum brushes over the surface of wet mud or thick glue until brushes or sticks get stuck and can't be lifted.

1966. Fluxversion 2. Performer drums with sticks over a leaking feather pillow making the feathers escape the pillow.